THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2015
SPORTS PREVIEW
7A
Talented
front line
trio leads
Warriors
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
No promises or guarantees, but
the 2015 Warrenton volleyball season
sure looks a lot more promising than
it did midway through the 2014 cam-
paign.
A bright start to last year’s league
season — which included back-to-
back wins over Riverdale and Clats-
kanie — was followed by a ¿ve-
match losing streak for the Warriors,
who dropped in the league standings
and ¿nished 4- in league play.
From all appearances, Warrenton
will knocking on the door to the state
playoffs this season.
THE WARRIORS
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
Freeman era begins
Warrenton’s Gavon McFadden, No. 13, avoids a tackle by an Ilwaco, Wash., player during the Football Jamboree at CMH Field.
Warriors could
be frontrunner in
football league
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
It feels like we were just here, not
long ago — Warrenton football hav-
ing to replace a coach and rebuild.
That’s where the Warriors are
again as they enter the 2015 season.
Ian O’Brien has moved on, while
Warrenton looks to bounce back after
its ¿rst winless league season in the
modern era of Warrior football.
(Although you can put an asterisk
by “winless,” since there were only
three teams in the league, and the 0-2
Warriors lost to the other two).
Travis Freeman is the new War-
renton coach, replacing O’Brien, who
left to become the athletic director at
Lakeridge High School.
“We’re ¿lling some gaps in some
pretty big ways,” Freeman said. “It’s
tough when you lose a two-year start-
er at quarterback (Brock Johnson).
But we’ve got a lot of senior talent
returning. The leadership has been
phenomenal. I have no complaints or
worries in that department.”
Freeman is only the third coach of
Warrenton football since 1974 (John
Mattila coached from 1974 to 2011).
THE WARRIORS
On the plus side, the Warriors are
back with six all-league returners (an-
other asterisk — with only three teams
in the league, most starters made all-
league).
The all-leaguers include running
back Justice Watson and receiver Ga-
von McFadden; linebacker/running
back Eli Petersen and lineman Antho-
ny Cochran (all seniors); and junior
offensive linemen Devon Bowser and
Jared Middleton.
“Gavon is a three-year starter, and
every year he’s gotten better and bet-
ter,” Freeman said. “He’s every bit as
good, if not better, than he was last
year.”
McFadden will also carry the ball
for the Warriors, along with Watson.
Petersen ran the ball last season, and
was the leading tackler on defense.
On last year’s roster, Jesse Salcedo
was listed as a wide receiver, and wore
No. 85.
Salcedo is back for his senior sea-
son, and could be Warrenton’s starting
quarterback for the season opener.
“We’re giving him a shot (at quar-
terback),” Freeman said. “He gives us
an athletic look back there. We’ll try
and run the read-option a little, and he
gives us a good look.”
The Warriors have a couple other
candidates at QB.
“It’s been a good battle in camp so
far, and we’ll see how it comes out,”
Freeman said. “There’s no clear win-
ner yet. You might see a rotation.”
On the offensive line, Cochran
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
Warrenton’s Jesse Salcedo, No.
7, tries to break a tackle by Sea-
side’s Gage Cain, No. 63, during
the Football Jamboree.
has moved to center, while Bowser
and Middleton will help anchor what
could be the league’s best line.
THE LEAGUE
The league added a fourth team
(Portland Christian), which means it
may take two league wins to make the
state playoffs this year.
5ainier made the ¿nal 1 last
season with a 1-1 league record (2-7
overall), while the Warriors began
2014 with a -0 record, but lost both
league games and ¿nished out of the
playoffs.
The Columbians — for years the
league powerhouse — are no longer
the threat they once were (Rainier
was blown out in its playoff game vs.
Harrisburg, 35-0); Clatskanie lost a
ton of starters to graduation, and the
Tigers only had 21 players suited up
for last week’s jamboree at Astoria;
and new arrival Portland Christian has
not ¿elded a varsity football team in
two years.
All of which should put the War-
riors back in the state playoffs for the
¿rst time since 2012.
“The league is always tough,”
Freeman said. “We don’t know what
Portland Christian is going to look
like.
“And we have yet to beat Rainier
and Clatskanie in a very long time. We
got close last year, but we have a long
ways to go. They’re both phenomenal
programs. I expect Rainier to rebound.
Clatskanie is just going to reload.
“Every game is critical, especially
with four teams. You lose one, and
you’re probably not going to get in.
It’s important to win all three, and just
solidify it. I like that we have a lot of
seniors this year. But we’re no world-
ender. We have a long way to go.”
Freeman’s coaching staff includes
Jason Edwards, Mike Larsen and Jake
Mullins.
WARRENTON FOOTBALL
Coach: Travis Freeman, 1st year
2014: 6-2 (0-2 league)
All-League Losses: Brock Johnson, Bry-
ton Kyme, Chris Ocana, Juan Salcedo
All-League Returners: Devon Bowser
(OL), Jr.; Anthony Cochran (DE), Sr.; Ga-
von McFadden (WR), Sr.; Jared Middleton
(OL), Jr.; Eli Petersen (LB), Sr.; Justice
Watson (RB), Sr.
Warrenton has list
of young runners
By GARY HENLEY
The Daily Astorian
Daily Astorian File
Warrenton runner Jeryd Lew-
is tries to set the pace ahead of
Seaside’s Rafi Sibony in a track
meet last spring.
A new cast and crew — with a
few returners tossed in — are wait-
ing at the starting line for the 2015
Warrenton cross country team.
Head coach Hayley Espelund
Rogers has some varsity experienced
runners returning, but the Warriors
will also be counting on a lot of new,
¿rst-year runners, as well.
The Lady Warriors have a good
mix of experience and youth.
A talented junior class includes
Cheyenne Harrison, Krista Morrill
(recovering from a back injury), Sa-
ran Pottschmidt and Elle Schenbeck.
Sophomore Ivy McCargish ran
track last spring and is coming off
a hip injury; and the Warriors have
added freshman Madison Kadera.
“If all these girls stick around,
we will have the biggest girls team
we’ve seen so far,” Rogers said.
The only returning senior for the
Warrenton boys is Charlie Burrows.
Rogers is “super excited to see
how he does. He has made huge im-
provements from cross country last
year to track season. Last year was
his ¿rst year running, ever.”
Other runners with varsity expe-
rience include juniors Jeryd Lewis
and Luke Liljenwall, and sophomore
Austin Stein.
Freshman Andrew Stafford
“looks very promising,” Rogers said.
The Warriors will be hosting a
meet later in the season, the second
annual Wreck Race (at the Peter Ire-
dale) Oct. 13.
SCOREBOARD
Coach Jenny Forney Smith and
the Warriors head into a new season
with a balanced roster: Five seniors,
four juniors, two sophomores and a
freshman.
All-league returner Libby Biel
enters her senior season as one of the
team’s outstanding hitters, along with
junior middle blocker/outside hitter
Landree Miethe.
Another player to watch will be
senior hitter Ally Bentley, who trans-
ferred to Astoria two years, but has
returned to Warrenton for her senior
year. Bentley was a Cowapa All-
League selection last year with the
Lady Fishermen.
Other seniors are Lexie Lumberg,
Amanda Spencer and Sophia Thomas.
Besides Miethe, the junior class
includes Katelynn Blodgett, Asia
Lambert and Sierra Lyons; and a few
underclassmen who may see action in-
clude sophomore setter Leah Durham
and sophomore Michelle Arney, while
freshman Claire Bussert started in last
week’s season opener.
THE LEAGUE
Defending Lewis & Clark League
champion Oregon Episcopal lost a
pair of ¿rst-team all-league players,
but the Aardvarks return ¿rst-team
player Grace Magee and junior sec-
ond-team all-leaguer Belle Scott. As
league coach of the year, Jennifer
Hormann, looks to lead OES to anoth-
er league championship.
Rainier ¿nished just a half-game
behind OES in the standings a year
ago, and the Columbians return
sophomore Breana Edwards, but lost
Player of the Year Mikala Edwards to
graduation.
Catlin Gabel, Portland Adventist
and Warrenton will all battle for a state
playoff spot, as the Warriors went 1-1
in last year’s league playoffs.
WARRENTON VOLLEYBALL
Coach: Jenny Forney Smith, 2nd year
2014: 4-6 Lewis & Clark
All-League Loss: Bri Marsch
All-League Returners: Libby Biel, Sr.;
Ally Bentley, Sr. (Cowapa All-League with
Astoria)
PREP SCHEDULE
TODAY
Volleyball — Astoria at Estacada, 6
p.m.; Seaside at Warrenton, 6:30 p.m.
Boys Soccer — Catlin Gabel at Asto-
ria, 5 p.m.
THURSDAY
Volleyball — Seaside at Yamhill-Carl-
ton, 6:30 p.m.; Warrenton at Portland
Adventist, 6:30 p.m.; Knappa at Clats-
kanie, 6 p.m.
Girls Soccer — Seaside at Yam-
hill-Carlton, 4:15 p.m.
Boys Soccer — Yamhill-Carlton at
Seaside, 7 p.m.
Cross Country — Warrenton at Bill
Chapman Invitational, 4:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Football — Taft at Astoria, 7 p.m.;
Yamhill-Carlton at Seaside, 7 p.m.; War-
renton at Vernonia, 7 p.m.; Knappa at
Regis, 7 p.m.; Ilwaco at North Beach, 7
p.m.
SATURDAY
Volleyball — Astoria at Southridge
Tournament, 8 a.m.; Neah-Kah-Nie
Tournament, 9 a.m.
Girls Soccer — Astoria vs. North
Bend, at Newport, 1 p.m.
Boys Soccer — Astoria vs. North
Bend, at Newport, 3 p.m.
Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
No. 9, Sophia Thomas of Warren-
ton makes the hit during a game
against Knappa at Warrenton
High School.
EL COMPADRE
MEXICAN FOOD
WARRENTON: 1 1 9 S. Main Ave.
(503) 861-2906
Proud sponsor of
Warrenton Sports
Best of luck this season!